2020 arrest images recycled to falsely claim Nigerian pastor aided Oyo kidnappers
- Published on July 21, 2026 at 16:26
- 3 min read
- By Oluseyi AWOJULUGBE, AFP Nigeria
Following the mass abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Nigeria’s southwestern Oyo state in May, posts shared on social media claimed to show a clergyman arrested by police for being the logistics supplier for the kidnappers. However, the claim is false; the images and videos show an arrest of a traditional ruler in 2020. The Oyo state police also denied the claim.
“Oyo State security forces have arrested a local pastor suspected of being a key logistics supplier to the armed group behind the mass abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Orire Local Government Area,” reads the Facebook post published on June 25, 2026, and shared more than 800 times.
“The pastor allegedly provided weapons, ammunition, drugs, vehicles, and operation gear to the bandits, security sources said,” it adds. “His clerical status reportedly allowed him to pass through checkpoints undetected while moving supplies.”
The post credits Nigerian news outlet Arise TV for the information, further saying that the “authorities are withholding the pastor’s full name and church to avoid compromising ongoing rescue operations for the abducted victims”.
Another post shared more than 1,700 times and published by the same Facebook page repeats the claim, in addition to featuring a clip from a news broadcast aired by Arise TV.
Presented by journalist Ojy Okpe, the broadcast contains the same details and image shared in the claim. Okpe tells viewers the information was obtained from Oyo state security sources.
The claims relate to the abduction of about 45 children and teachers from three schools in Oyo on May 15, 2026. Security forces freed the captives during a rescue operation on July 10, 2026, and arrested eight suspects (archived here and here).
However, claims that the police arrested a pastor in connection with the kidnappings are false.
2020 arrest
A reverse image search traced the image to an August 2020 news report about a traditional ruler who was arrested by police for his involvement with a kidnapping gang (archived here).
According to the report, the 59-year-old ruler of the Obor community, identified as Eze Andrew Okuegbunuwa, “was paraded along with 30 other suspects who allegedly committed various crimes, ranging from robbery, kidnapping and rape, among others”.
The report added that Okuegbunuwa confirmed the gang used his Lexus 330 during a kidnapping and said he was paid three million naira ($2,200) to replace the vehicle after police impounded it.
TVC News also reported on the incident, publishing footage of the arrest (archived here).
The man identified as a pastor in the Facebook post is, in fact, Okuegbunuwa. He is seen wearing the same animal print outfit in the 2020 visuals and in the images circulating with the false claim.
Oyo state police also dismissed the claim in a statement published on X on June 27, describing it as “entirely false, misleading, and unfounded” (archived here).
“The command wishes to state that no such arrest has been made by the police or any other known security agency involved in the ongoing rescue operation, and investigation is ongoing,” reads the statement.
AFP Fact Check traced the original Arise TV clip to the broadcaster’s YouTube channel, where it was published on June 24 as part of a segment called “What’s trending” (archived here).
In a follow-up video on June 29, Okpe acknowledged their error (archived here).
“The police are right to push back on unverified claims and we at Arise News acknowledge that the information we received from our security source has now been officially denied by the Oyo state police command,” she said.
AFP Fact Check has debunked other claims about insecurity in Nigeria here and here.
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